New post by Michelle on taking credit for God’s work in our lives…Goodie Two-Shoes

The start doesn’t matter…it’s the end that really matters.

Old Man #1 had a vision. A dream.  A plan. He worked hard and got some money together and bought the old Sleeman mansion.

Originally owned by John Sleeman (the brewery guy), it’s a gorgeous limestone castle right by the main highway in Guelph, and directly across my the church I grew up in.  Old Man #1 had no intentions of turning the beautiful churchside castle into a house or a hotel.  Rather, he turned it into Guelph’s first and finest upscale strip joint.

Years later, Old Man #1 was in a car accident while vacationing in Florida.  He was gripped with the reality that life was short and that he’d been devoting his life to sin.  He quit the business…and started attending the church directly across the road from his landmark success.

For decades, he prayed that it would get shut down.  In his lifetime, and to this day, it remains Guelph’s most popular destination for sexual sin of all kinds (including, recently, trafficking).  The old man never got over the guilt he felt for his earlier choices.  He worked and campaigned hard to get it shut down.  He made his life all about loving people, winning some to Christ, and seeing the Kingdom of God grow because of his loving servanthood.  Old Man #1 had a bad start, but an excellent finish.

(not actual grumpy old man!)

Old Man #2 grew up in church.  In fact, when I knew him, he’d been a member of that (same strip-joint-adjacent) church for many decades.  He vehemently opposed the people who visited the strip joint, and very unlovingly disapproved of their actions. Not that it was a bad thing, just that he didn’t show much love in going about it.

Like most of us, he’d never been wrong a day in his life.  He was a sour, codgy old curmudgeon.  One day my friend John and I walked from school to church for a young gathering followed by a baptism. He’d never met us before, but thought it necessary to yell at us for wearing our hats “in the house of the Lord.”  (we were three feet into the foyer).  It broke our hearts.  Here’s a dude with wealth and knowledge and experience and family and a great church…but with no love in his heart.  He died a bitter old man.  Maybe in his younger days he was on fire for the things of God, but the end was self-evident…good start, bad finish.

How are you going to make sure that you finish well?

“So much as it rests with you, be at peace with all people”

As many of you regular readers know, this Bible verse is one that I’m constantly trying to practice. Not because I’m super godly, but because I’m known for stirring pots. I’m doing my best to reconcile every broken relationship I’ve ever created- doing my part to extend a true confession and apology to those I’ve wronged. It’s been an incredible journey.

Well on Sunday, I got to gratefully bear witness to God’s grace, forgiveness, and overwhelming love!

Two friends of Michelle’s haven’t talked in about 6 months. They were friends for years, then some relational breakdown occurred, and they parted ways. Well the first girl and her boyfriend drove 7 hours to come have dinner with Michelle and I, in celebration of my wife’s birthday (amazing friend eh?!). When the second girl found out, she texted and asked if she could come. How could I say no and pass up seeing what God might do?!

Well, it was awkward for about 8 seconds. Then both realized that the other cared more about the PERSON and less about the SITUATION…by the end of the night we pretty much had to pry them apart because they were all over each other!

When they left, Michelle and I prayed, so gratefully, that Jesus needs stops drawing people closer to Himself and each other. We got to see Him in action in our living room this weekend. There’s no better way to live.

Jay

My homeslice Aaron has a killer new post on money: Let’s Talk About Your Cash

Michelle puts up her last post before Christmas too: Snowflakes, Turkey, and a 40-year-old Man

In case you missed it yesterday, here’s a new post for parents from Karen: Row, Row, Row Your Boat…But Not in Circles Please.

Also, if you didn’t yet read my post from yesterday, please do…it’s my maddest in months! I’m Declaring War.

After note…

This will be my last post until Monday December 28th. Gonna take a much-needed break from blogging so that I can come back and crush it. But I won’t stop hustling, I promise!

God-willing, here’s what I’ll be up to:

23rd… It’s my best friend’s birthday! That’s right, my wonderful wife Michelle turns 24 years old! I’ve got a nice planned…and I’m personally really excited to a.) see Invictus, b.) watch her jump up and down when she opens her gift, and c.) eat at Tucker’s!

24th… My wife is getting interviewed at Lincoln Road Chapel at both their Christmas Eve services. She’s gonna be talking about this powerful blog post about Serving over 50 prostituted women. Then we’ll be heading back to my parents house to open stockings and watch It’s a Wonderful Life. Because it is!

25th Christmas Day… sleep in, open presents, talk alot.

26th… We’re going to a wedding! Never been to a Greek Orthodox one before, but I’m excited for the culture shock!

27th… I will be hustling hard to help put together an all-dudes event called Journey, hosted by the right awesome James Kelly. About 20 of us have been dreaming and praying and planning and are SO excited for this event to unfold and watch God completely surprise us!

28th… Journey begins. If you’re a DUDE (male-species only), message me asap and I’ll send you the details that I have so far!

I’m also hoping to find time in this ‘break’ to…

-Finish the first draft of an ebook I’m working on…my 1-Year Anniversary Gift to all you wonderful and amazingly committed readers!

-Preparing a strong finish for the SexRev’s first year. And planning a huge re-development and some MAJOR changes for February/Year Two. I think you’re REALLY gonna like what’s about to happen up in these parts!

-Work on budgeting and time planning for the next few steps on the path to pursuing my dream of being part of planting a radical community and writing books of significance.

-Finish reading The Hobbit for the (literal) 8th time. Then watching the old-school cartoon and getting freakin-out excited for the movie coming out…in 2 years. I’m such a loser.

-Inbox Zero: Catch up on 25 Facebook messages, 46 Gmails, and 83 Hotmails. Good thing I canceled voicemail already!

If you could pray about all this stuff for me, that would be soooo appreciated!

Start thinking about a New Year’s resolution. We’re so lazy and pathetic that we’ve write off New Year’s as cliche and somehow think it’s valiant and applause-worthy to resolve to do nothing. Not this year. I’d love you to make one, and share it with your friends, then make it happen.

Drive safe this holiday season. I want all of you back in the New Year!

Merry Christmas everyone. Thanks for reading, truly. You have all my love.

Jay

Have you ever been waiting to turn left at a set of lights for what seems like forever, then when you finally thread the gap in the traffic, you almost hit a pedestrian or biker who is using the crosswalk?

You get so wrapped up in ‘making this light‘ that you forget that there’s TWO types of oncoming traffic you need to avoid.

Well, that happened to me this week. I was supposed to pick up my wife at five, and I was running a few minutes behind. I waited impatiently for the cars to pass, then saw a very small window of opportunity, so I took a hard left as fast as I could.

Suddenly, I saw someone sprinting across the crosswalk to catch a bus. I hammered the gas and they just missed getting smoked by my trunk. I checked the rear-view mirror just to make sure I didn’t clip them accidentally. Fortunately, I didn’t. Unfortunately, they missed their bus.

It took an entire 2 seconds before my conscience kicked in, I pulled a U-turn, and went back to offer them a ride for a.) almost killing them, and b.) being part of them now having to stand in the cold for 22 minutes.

There was no one there. In fact, there was no one anywhere in the area. Whomever I almost hit, whomever missed their bus; was gone.

Strange eh?

The point is, I did the right thing. And I learned a valuable lesson- slow down, you idiot…and keep your eyes open.

I also learned several spiritual lessons because of this experience. But today I’m going to do something a bit different:
Now it’s your turn to go back, re-read this post, and find the spiritual lessons that apply to you.

Best of luck, and I’ll see you tomorrow. Drive carefully!

Jay

New post by Michelle on her evening spend serving 50 prostituted women

I was at a cottage this weekend with a few friends and we watched the entire Band of Brothers series. (Enter rounds of abuse for our waste of hours, I know.)

We watched the truth story of countless lives lost- Americans, Germans, Jews, Polish, on and on it goes. Hitler and a group of evil men joined together to take on the world, and destroyed millions in the process.

And somehow the question is often asked today… “do you think Hitler will be in heaven?”

I guess it all depends on another question- “how big is the Grace of God?

Here’s something I struggle with: (and yes, it’s a run-on paragraph)

Let’s say Hitler said a death-bed salvation prayer right before he shot himself.  Is he now walking on streets of gold?  Part of me says that’s not true repentance, just fire insurance. Another voice reminds me that we are saved by confessing with our mouths that Jesus is Lord. But both James and John tell me that it’s about our actions, not our words, that prove we’re His. But it’s not about our works, so no one can boast, or work their way into heaven. And God’s pretty clear that He wants all mankind to be drawn to Himself. But He humbles the proud and He hates evil. But He’s abounding in love and relentless in mercy. But some people say they’d rather not go to heaven if Hitler is there. But, after all, all sin is equal, and Jesus said that hating a brother is the same as murder. And don’t forget that God sent His dearly loved son, Jesus, to die for the sin of the entire world.

All that to say this… just don’t be surprised who you see again some day.

After all, God created Heaven to be filled with sinners saved by grace.